Anne Hathaway is the embodiment of an all-around movie star. She’s appeared in big-grossing films like "Get Smart" and the recent "Alice in Wonderland." She’s been nominated for an Oscar for 2008’s "Rachel Getting Married," and she’s appeared in a line of ads for Lancome perfumes and cosmetics.

But unlike many movie stars, Anne Hathaway still doesn’t cost that much if you want her in a movie. She’s an affordable lead in romantic comedies like "Bride Wars," which helps her films turn a tidy profit.

Thanks to her still low (by Hollywood standards) payday, Hathaway tops our list of Hollywood’s Best Actresses for the Buck — the women who offer studios the best return on investment. For every dollar she was paid, Hathaway’s movies returned an average of $64 in profit.

That’s well below the $81 Shia LaBeouf returns for every dollar he gets paid, but LaBeouf has the advantage of starring in multiple installments of blockbuster franchises like "Transformers 2" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Hathaway’s highest grossing movie by far is "Alice in Wonderland," which brought in $1 billion at the box office worldwide. Her next highest-grossing film, "Get Smart," earned $230 million.

The best way for an actress to get to the top of this list is to appear in high-grossing films while earning a modest salary. In order to create our list we looked at the top-earning actresses in Hollywood. To qualify, each actress had to have starred in at least three movies in the past five years that opened in more than 500 theaters. Movies that opened after June 1 of this year are not counted. We did not include animated films because the actors aren't really the draw and they tend to take pay cuts for voice work.

We used data gathered for our annual Celebrity 100 list to calculate each actress’ estimated earnings on each film (including upfront pay and any earnings from the movie's box-office receipts, DVD and TV sales). We then looked at each movie's estimated budget (not including marketing costs, which are susceptible to accounting chicanery) and box-office, DVD and television earnings to figure out an operating income for each film.

We added up each star's compensation on her last three films and the operating income on those films and divided total operating income by the star's total compensation to come up with a return on investment number. The final number represents an average of how much a studio earns for every dollar paid to the actress.

Coming in second behind Hathaway is Cate Blanchett, who gives studios an average $27 return for every dollar she gets paid. Blanchett's ranking was boosted by appearances in two solidly performing films opposite two very expensive co-stars. In "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Robin Hood," Blanchett earned less than Brad Pitt and Russell Crowe. That means her return on investment is higher. The actress is not slated to be in any big movies in the next few years unless she revisits her "Lord of the Rings" role as Galadriel in the upcoming film version of "The Hobbit."

Jennifer Aniston (on this page)
and
Meryl Streep (on this page)
tie for third place with returns of $21 for every dollar they each get paid. Aniston’s movies often open weak but perform over the long haul. "The Bounty Hunter" was derided for its $20 million opening weekend, but the $40 million film went on to earn $136 million at the global box office. Streep has appeared in much higher-grossing films, like "Mamma Mia!", which earned $610 million, but her average is weighed down by "Doubt," which earned only $37 million.

In fourth place:
Sarah Jessica Parker (on this page)
. When she appears in "Sex and the City" movies, she earns every penny she gets paid. Her return isn’t as good in movies like :"Did You Hear About the Morgans." On average, Parker returns $17 for every dollar she's paid.

Monte Cristo Award

Actress Meryl Streep speaks after receiving the Monte Cristo Award, which celebrates a theater artist who exemplifies the spirit of the legendary Eugene O'Neill, at the Edison Ballroom in New York on April 21, 2014. It's just one of a multitude of honors received by Streep, who is considered by many to be one of the nation's finest actresses.
(Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images)
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The selfie seen around the world

Streep was one of the famous faces who made history in Ellen DeGeneres' famed most-retweeted selfie, taken Oscar night, March 2, 2014, in Los Angeles. She's hiding behind host DeGeneres' shoulder.
(Ellen Degeneres / AP)
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'August: Osage County'

In the 2013 film "August: Osage County," Streep plays the mother of three daughters whose mean streak and personal struggles haunt her entire family. Both Streep and Julia Roberts received Oscar nominations for their roles.
(Claire Folger / AP)
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Golden night

Power pair

Streep takes a photo of herself with Hillary Clinton following a dinner for Kennedy Center honorees at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, on Dec. 1, 2012.
(Pool / Getty Images)
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Portrait of a 'Lady'

Even before any reviews had been released, there was plenty of Oscar buzz surrounding Streep's performance as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 2011's "The Iron Lady."
(The Weinstein Company)
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Graduation day

Streep and retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter speak after Streep was presented with an honorary degree during Harvard University Commencement, in Cambridge, Mass., on May 27, 2010.
(Josh Reynolds / AP)
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'Julie & Julia'

Streep received a best actress Oscar nomination for playing beloved chef Julia Child in 2009's "Julie & Julia," about a blogger who's inspired to cook her way through Child's most famous cookbook.
(Columbia Pictures)
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'It's Complicated'

In the 2009 film "It's Complicated," Streep and Alec Baldwin play a long-divorced couple who find they're falling for each other again now that the kids are grown and their finances are secure.
(Melinda Sue Gordon / AP)
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With James Bond

Pierce Brosnan and Streep wave to the crowd at the world premiere of the movie version of "Mamma Mia!" on June 30, 2008, in London.
(Chris Jackson / Getty Images)
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'Mamma Mia'

In "Mamma Mia!", the movie musical based on the ABBA stage musical, Streep plays the rebellious single mother of a bride-to-be who never met her father. The daughter invites three likely paternal candidates to her wedding, and the ensuing conflict triggers the performance of 22 ABBA hits including "Dancing Queen," "Take a Chance on Me" and "The Winner Takes It All."
(Universal Pictures)
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'Doubt'

Cash for charity

Streep holds up phones on the trading floor of ICAP, an international broker in financial markets, at the company's offices in Jersey City, N.J., on Dec. 10, 2008. Streep and other celebrities joined ICAP brokers for the day when all company revenues were to be donated to charities around the world.
(Mike Derer / AP)
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A prince and a vice-president

Streep and former vice-president Al Gore present Britain's Prince Charles with Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment's 10th Anniversary Global Environmental Citizen Award at the Harvard Club in New York on Jan. 28, 2007. The prince received the award for his outstanding work toward protecting the global environment.
(Mike Segar / Getty Images)
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'Lions for Lambs'

Streep starred with Tom Cruise and Robert Redford in 2007's "Lions for Lambs," about war in the Middle East. Cruise plays a senator who hopes to enlist the help of Streep's character, a TV journalist.
(MGM Studios)
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Mother and daughters

Streep and her daughters, from left, Louisa Gummer, Grace Grummer and Mamie Gummer attend the premiere of "The Devil Wears Prada," on June 19, 2006, in New York.
(Bryan Bedder / Getty Images)
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'The Devil Wears Prada'

In the 2006 film "The Devil Wears Prada," Streep played Miranda Priestly, the vicious fashion-magazine editor who torments underling Andy Sachs, played by Anne Hathaway.
(Barry Wetcher / Twentieth Century Fox)
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Honor for 'Angels'

In 2004, Streep won the Golden Globe for best actress in a miniseries or television movie for her work in the AIDS epic, "Angels in America." She played four roles, including that of executed communist Ethel Rosenberg.
(Chris Haston / AP)
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'The Manchurian Candidate'

'The Hours'

Streep starred with Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman in 2002's "The Hours," based on Michael Cunningham's novel about three women connected by the work of writer Virginia Woolf.
(Paramount Pictures)
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'Adaptation'

Streep played writer Susan Orlean in 2002's "Adaptation," based on Orlean's book "The Orchid Thief" and the battle to adapt it into a film.
(Ben Kaller / AFP-Getty Images)
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'Music of the Heart'

Streep's best actress nomination for 1999's "Music of the Heart" made her the second most nominated actress in history, after Katharine Hepburn.
(Kerry Hayes / AFP-Getty Images)
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Family portrait

Streep married sculptor Don Gummer in 1978. They have four children, including son Henry, seen here with his parents in this undated photo. Of their three daughters, two are actresses.
(Ron Galella / WireImage)
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'The Bridges of Madison County'

Numerous critics thought that the movie version of "The Bridges of Madison County," which came out in 1995 and starred Streep and Clint Eastwood, was better than the syrupy best-selling book. Streep was again nominated for a best actress Oscar but did not win.
(Online Usa / Getty Images)
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'Ironweed'

'Out of Africa'

Streep starred with Robert Redford in 1985's "Out of Africa," based on the life of author Karen Blixen, who wrote under the name Isak Dinesen. The film won seven Oscars, including best picture and director, and its opening line, "I had a farm in Africa," became famous.
(Everett Collection)
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'Silkwood'

Streep, seen with Kurt Russell and Cher, played Karen Silkwood in 1983's "Silkwood." Karen Silkwood died in a suspicious car accident while trying to blow the whistle on actions at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant where she worked. The real Karen Silkwood was just 28 and a mother of three when she died in 1974.
(Everett Collection)
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'Sophie's Choice'

Streep won the best actress Oscar for the title role in 1982's "Sophie's Choice," about a Polish immigrant haunted by the horror that came upon her while in Auschwitz.
(Universal Pictures)
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Golden girl

'Kramer vs. Kramer'

1979's "Kramer vs. Kramer" won the Oscar for best picture that year. Streep and Dustin Hoffman play divorcing parents fighting over their son, played by Justin Henry, top. The film was widely praised for tackling the topic of divorce and nationwide ideas about mothers receiving custody. Streep's character is awarded custody because she is the boy's mother, but in the end, tells her husband the boy is best with him.
(Getty Images)
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Royal reception

Streep met Queen Elizabeth II after the ruler was treated to a showing of "Kramer vs. Kramer" in London in 1979.
(Graham Turner / Getty Images)
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'The Deer Hunter'

Streep, seen with Robert De Niro, had a small role in 1978's "The Deer Hunter," which was much talked about for its scenes of prisoners of war in Vietnam forced to play Russian roulette. The film won five Oscars, including best picture. Director Michael Cimino reportedly let Streep write her own lines.
(Mary Evans & Ronald Grant / Everett Collection)
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Bright college days

Streep is seen in the 1974 Yale Repertory Theatre production of "The Idiots Karamazov" when she was an acting student at Yale School of Drama. Streep earned an M.F.A. from the college, after earning her B.A. from Vassar College in 1971. The Yale Drama dean reportedly said, "It was immediately apparent that she was destined for greatness."
(Yale School of Drama/Yale Repertory Theatre)
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